The Monster at the End of This Book (1971), Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in this Book with Lovable Furry Old Grover? (1976), Another Monster at the End of This Book (1996): Three Great "Book Knowledge" Books Starring Lovable Furry Old Grover (and Elmo)

I'm not a literacy expert by any stretch, but I've unilaterally decided that three great books for teaching "book knowledge" (or "print knowledge") are the three books in the "lovable furry old Grover" series by Jon Stone and Mike Smollin.

More than almost any other children's book I can think of, these Sesame Street books from the Children's Television Workshop make the physical book itself the heart of the story. Children can't help but start to think about reading left to right, turning pages in sequence, the role of a title page and more. You're probably already familiar with The Monster at the End of This Book, but there are two lesser-known "sequels" from the same author-illustrator team, and these books work in much the same way.

The Monster at the End of This Book (1971), Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in this Book with Lovable Furry Old Grover? (1976), Another Monster at the End of This Book (1996)

Grover tries to hide behind speech bubbles in Hide & Seek...

...but to no avail.

In Hide & Seek, Grover tries to hide at the top and bottom and middle of a book spread,  helping kids orient themselves in books.

Sesame Street superstar Elmo joins the party in Another Monster.

Elmo coaxes readers to turn pages, Grover resists with all his might.

Do you have any favorite books for teaching "book knowledge"? Suggestions welcome and strongly encouraged!